Sylvester James, known professionally as Deda, is an American rapper from Mount Vernon, New York. He was an affiliate of record producer Pete Rock. James made his debut appearances on the songs "The Basement" (1992) and "In the Flesh" (1994) by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. He recorded a full-length album, titled Every Man for Himself, in 1995 for the Elektra vanity label Soul Brother Records which was led by Pete Rock. The distribution deal fell through due to a management change at Elektra and the album was shelved. Deda appeared on the song "Escape from New York" by Sadat X in 1996 for what was his final recording appearance.
Every Man for Himself was released officially in 2003 under the title The Original Baby Pa as part of the double-disc compilation album Lost and Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics alongside Center of Attention by InI, which had suffered a similar fate.
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
- 1995: Every Man for Himself (shelved; released in 2003 as The Original Baby Pa)